


howling ghosts they reappear

by rosegoldblood



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: 18th Century, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Language, Friends to Lovers, Infidelity, M/M, Minor Violence, Multi, Narcissism, Polyamory, Tarot, War, major arcana - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26581582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosegoldblood/pseuds/rosegoldblood
Summary: dream didn't know who he'd been before who he was now. all he knew was that he owed the empire, that he fought for it; and as long as he kept his heart beating he didn't mind having his life be all that simple.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound/Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), GeorgeNotFound/Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 270





	howling ghosts they reappear

**Author's Note:**

> okay this sucks, but i'm proud of it, and i deserve clout for writing 1k words a day.

_the wheel of fortune: is an indicator of luck and destiny, a signifier of change. the wheel of fortune represents the ever-changing cycles in life._

❂

dream didn't know who he'd been before who he was now.

he didn't even know who he was now, past the silver sword on his belt and the rusted armour. past the blood on his hands and the people he'd killed. past the fire and destruction that he'd hailed on other villages and towns and knights, on other people just like him.

maybe he was a hypocrite for that. dream found that he didn't really mind. it wasn't like he had a choice, anyway, did he? the empire was his only home. he couldn't abandon it now. that'd make him an even worse person. the least he could do was pay them back.

he didn't know who he'd been before who he was now. he couldn't even remember. but he was fine with that. as long as he had his friends, and a home, and a living, beating, heart, he could keep on moving forward.

and he would.

❂

_the sun: represents freedom, fun, and positivity. the sun radiates triumph and is associated with fire as well as confidence._

❂

the first time dream had met sapnap, the latter had been lighting a book on fire.

"why?" dream had asked, kneeling down next to the boy, then a stranger. he was chubby, with black hair and round cheeks, a white shirt over a black one, a white ribbon tied around his head that fluttered in the wind. they'd both been around fourteen, then.

"hmm. for fun?" sapnap had answered, watching the leather cover of the book burn and crumble to ashes on the pavement in front of them. it was almost mesmerising, watching the flames lick at the yellowing pages, orange-yellow sparks drifting through the air. 

dream had drawn his legs up to his chest and put his chin on his knees, watching sapnap flick the used match away. "you don't have anything better to do?" he'd questioned, somewhat judgmental despite the fact he couldn't tear his eyes away from the spectacle in front of him.

"guess not," he'd replied, so unbothered, maybe even oblivious to the dull quality of dream's voice. he'd been so full of life, so radiant and carefree, and it made dream scoot just a little bit closer to him on the cement they were sitting on. "i'm sapnap," he'd said, offering his hand to shake.

after a moment of consideration dream had taken it, shaking firmly. "dream," he'd said, then added, "you have a weird name." sapnap'd laughed, pulling out a box of matches. he'd asked dream, then, if he wanted to come along and get some bread from the bakery. dream had agreed, and from then on they were never apart.

❂

_the moon: is inaction, illusion, and insecurity. associated with water and night, the moon is a sign that nothing is as it seems._

❂

the first time dream had met george, his face was splattered with blood, and the ground was littered with bodies.

"so," george had yelled across the battlefield as war raged around them, "you're the knight everyone keeps talking about, huh? you know, you're pretty well-known where i'm from." instead of a sword, he had a spear, a blue ribbon wrapped around the middle of its handle. 

"i'm flattered," dream had shouted back, drawing his sword, hands sweaty as he tightened his grip on the hilt. his heart felt like it was beating out of his own chest, his ears ringing as he took a deep breath and prepared to attack.

george widened his stance, pointing his spear blade right at dream. "don't be," he'd said, before charging, the metal of his spear making a dull sound against dream's own blade. unlike the other soldiers, he seemed more experienced, managing to strike dream in his arm.

he stepped back and swung his sword, george lifting his spear just in time to block. the edge of his sword pressed into the wood of george's spear handle, both of them gritting their teeth as they stood their ground. "name's dream, by the way." making his voice as cocky as possible to piss the other off.

it worked, if the scowl was anything to go by. "good to know," he'd replied, without telling dream his own name, backing up to try for another hit. dream grinned and readied his sword, stepping forward to meet him.

❂

later he'd learnt the other knight's name was george. no, not knight. general. it was a weird word, but that's what sapnap had said.

"they don't really have knights in the citadel," he'd explained to dream, who'd been running a whetstone across his sword, sharpening it. "at least, that's what they say. i don't really know." sapnap was always a little clueless in that way. dream loved him for that.

"general george," dream said, as seriously as he could, before bursting out in laughter. "holy shit, that sounds so stupid. what, are they all idiots in the citadel?" he flopped onto his back, watching sapnap smile back at him. stubble was growing on his chin, and while it looked weird on dream it suited sapnap almost too well.

he laughed when sapnap responded with, "who knows. they probably are, seeing as they chose to mess with us." sap winked, flexing his arm. dream felt himself soften, heat spreading across his cheeks, admiring the way sapnap radiated light and warmth.

it suited him, then, the way they'd met - by the sidewalk, watching a book burn on the pavement. dream never got to ask who wrote it or what it was about, all he knew was that the flames that licked at the air back then matched the fire that lit up in sapnap's eyes.

and it matched the feeling that burnt through dream's heart, too, leaning back on his elbows and staring as sapnap grinned, warm and devious like he always was. and just like the fire on that faithful day, he wasn't able to tear his eyes away from the boy in front of him, either. it made his heart flutter, made his stomach feel like it was full of butterflies.

...oh. that was interesting. 

❂

"who's there?" a voice asked in front of him as dream's back hit a wall. he was doomed. there was no way out. even if he managed to scale the wall, he'd be in sight of every archer in the vicinity, and his body would be struck with a dozen arrows within a minute. 

he pressed himself into a corner, hoping it'd be too dark to see, but unfortunately, whoever it was had a lantern. footsteps grew closer, the sound of fabric in the wind. dream drew his sword as silently as he could. all he could hope for was to beat them in a fight and make it out alive.

it'd been a mistake going to the citadel. he was only supposed to retrieve a few pieces of armour from the blacksmith just outside of it, but there'd been ribbons and lights strung around the outside of the wall, and curiosity killed the cat. he'd meant to leave after confirming it was just a meaningless party, but had somehow got cornered near the border.

"you!" the voice was more familiar now, and dream jumped at it. george was holding up a lantern, cloak wrapped tight around his shoulders, his face filled with bewilderment. before he could react, dream jumped forward to strike him - but it ended up backfiring as george shrieked and dodged, managing to knock his sword out of his hand.

he gasped, fingers outstretched to retrieve his sword, but george picked it up before he could. "you -" he was angrier now, "- you and your primitive empire weapons," he spat, hanging his lantern from his belt and using his other hand to rub at the bridge of his nose.

dream looked around, searching for a means of escape. he was about to reach for a barrel of wine when his sword clattered to the ground beside him. "what?" he asked, confused, as george stared down at him with a mixture of contempt and melancholy. 

"go," he said, "i don't want to see you here ever again, hear me? if i do, i won't let you go next time." though his words were angry, his eyes, dark brown and dull in the dim light, were filled with sadness. dream stayed frozen, staring in shock. "didn't you hear me? get out of here! _go!_ "

snapping back to reality, dream grabbed his sword and got to his feet. he could kill george, now, have it be done with. one less _general_ to deal with. 

maybe it was george's mercy, or the pity in his eyes, or the way he looked cute in a twisted way as he furrowed his eyebrows and looked at dream with disgust - but dream didn't kill him. instead, he sheathed his sword, put his mask back on, and sprinted as fast as he could, away from the citadel and away from george.

❂

_the emperor: represents a man, wealthy and patriarchal. it indicates command, domination, and responsibility._

❂

here was the thing. dream loved the empire. it was the only home he'd ever had, and he was proud of that. a patriot, sapnap called him. he didn't mind it so much, not even when sap teased him for it ( _"my little patriot,"_ he'd coo, and dream would pretend to be bothered).

so, yes, he was proud of his empire, of his home, of the kingdom fought for. but the thing was - and he wasn't afraid to admit it - the empire was kind of a mess. during the war, anyway. their emperor, freshly pronounced as such, had no idea what he was doing. and dream could tell. 

"dream?" he said, one day, looking over a map traced with red ink and black string. dream hummed his assent, standing at attention for his liege even if he was a confused mess with his crown on backwards. "do you think we should open the trade routes?"

"i don't think so, emperor," dream responded, shuffling his feet as he watched wilbur pace back and forth, hands clasped together. "if we need more supplies, we should send people out to get them, not people in where they could pose potential threats, or worse, spies."

"i told you to call me wilbur, dream. or at least soot." dream nodded, knowing full well he would never; it was disrespectful. "and thank you for your input. i'll make sure to apply it. i don't know what i'd do without you."

_you'd die, probably,_ dream thought, _or watch your own kingdom crumble to pieces._ instead he smiled and straightened. "of course."

❂

it started small. at first, that is. 

the way sapnap seemed to shine a little brighter than before. the way dream found himself staring at his best friend - his childhood best friend - more and more. he'd never noticed how pretty sapnap was until now.

"doing some light reading?" sapnap teased as dream dropped a stack of heavy books onto the table with a thunk. he leaned over, pressing their shoulders together, to look at the book on top of the pile. " _history of the empire,"_ he read out loud, "huh. you know that's all propaganda, right?"

this struck dream as strange as he looked over to sapnap, who had placed his feet on the table. he wrinkled his nose at the sight of his boots. "what do you mean?" he asked, and sapnap shrugged easily, closing his eyes like he was resting. 

"just saying, dude. a lot of that stuff's written by people who just love the empire. like you, patriot." though his voice was playful, there was somewhat of a bitter undertone to it, and dream tilted his head. "i mean, some of it has got to be a little exaggerated, right?"

dream frowned. he loved sapnap, but he didn't take kindly to people implying anything bad about the kingdom that had saved his life when he was younger, the kingdom he owed his body and heart. "what, so you're saying it's all fake? you know the empire's the only home i've ever had?"

his brashness made sapnap raise his eyebrows, lifting his hands up, palms out. "only home, huh? no, i'm not saying that. i'm just saying you have to be careful, dream. you're my best friend. i just... don't want you to be lied to, you know?" he clapped his hand onto dream's shoulder, making warmth burst in dream's heart.

they fell into comfortable silence as they always did, dream rifling through the pages of his book, even if he couldn't concentrate - even if his eyes kept drifting toward sapnap, leaning back in his chair, eyes closed. he almost looked serene like this, although his personality was kind of the opposite.

he huffed out a laugh as he turned back to his book. just when he was beginning to focus, sapnap started speaking again. dream pretended to be unimpressed, although they both knew he loved hearing sapnap talk.

"hey, you know, it doesn't really matter." his voice was softer now, than before, as he placed his feet back on the floor and leaned forward. "i just want you to be careful, dream. but i'll always be here for you. no matter what happens."

dream smiled. "of course, sap." he leaned in and sighed in content. "i'll always be here for you, too."

"promise?"

"pfft. promise."

❂

_the star: means spiritual insight, hope, and healing. the star indicates that one must embrace what the future holds._

❂

dream always thought that bad was far too nice for the war.

he was skilled, of course. at least five years older than the rest of them and more experienced, and it showed. but he was kind, almost too kind, protesting every time a war prisoner was to be executed or guillotined. "they deserve a second chance," he'd say.

"bad," dream would say, quietly, beside him as his face twisted with compassion and sympathy. "it has to be done. it's the way the things should be." bad would nod, then, and run away before it happened. everyone else was kind enough not to comment.

the sun shone overhead. they were anticipating another battle tomorrow and bad had dragged him to the training grounds. for someone so anti-violence, he was dedicated to the cause, dedicated to his training. he probably just wanted to keep everyone alive.

and dream - well, he was dedicated too. sometimes even more so than bad, going sleepless nights, days forgetting to eat because he was only focused on the sword hilt in his hand, eyes burning into the torn to shreds training dummy in front of him.

but not today, not now when he needed it. he couldn't stop thinking about what sapnap had said, sitting at their usual table as dream tried to focus on his books. _i mean, some of it has got to be a little exaggerated, right?_ maybe he was right. he was probably right. and their promise...

they'd made so many over the years, of course, but dream had a feeling this one would stick.

"bad," he started out, hesitant. bad paused and turned to look at him. "all those history books in the library. do you think they could be - i don't know, lies? propaganda? i was just thinking about it the other day, and... it doesn't seem... unlikely."

"i wouldn't know, dream," bad replied, moving forward to stand in front of him. "but you should always be careful, that's what i know." _i'm just saying you have to be careful, dream._ he gritted his teeth. he'd been careful his whole life. when did he get to take action? "and you're smart. you shouldn't doubt yourself. you're a good muffin, dream. whatever you choose to believe, i'm sure it'll be good for you."

dream smiled, flattered, albeit a little unsatisfied. "of course, bad. thank you."

they spent the rest of the day destroying the dummies in the training grounds, and despite the growing worry in his heart, dream wished it would last forever; even when he knew that nothing ever did.

❂

"there!" a voice shouted, and a second later an arrow whizzed past his helmet.

dream sprinted across the field, gripping on tight to his sword as he slashed at other soldiers, cursing the fact that he never bothered to use any long-range weapons. he never thought he'd need them, since bad specialised in long-range with his bows and throwing knives, but they'd been separated. 

he didn't even know if bad was alive, but he chose not to think about it. instead he ducked under a tree branch and used his sword to cut through the rough bark of the trunk. it crashed down in front of him, the leaves and wood creating a sort of barrier as he leaped over rocks and kept running.

the rest of his battalion were together, at least. wilbur would forgive him if he deviated once, especially since he had no other choice. dream hopped onto a tree branch, slicing it off and leaving it to crash into the ground beneath him.

when his knees scraped into the dirt as he jumped down from the branch he winced, but kept going. he turned his head to glance back, eyes squinting, trying to catch sight of anything behind the foliage - when he hit something, falling to the ground, the pain creeping through his nose and face.

a body dropped to the ground beside dream. he shot up in fear, but they were still breathing, the slow rising and falling of their chest telling dream that he was simply knocked out. with a cry he lifted his sword and swung it at whoever he'd crashed into, whoever had done this -

"george?!" he yelped out and the man in front of him, spear tumbling from his hands as he gripped the wound across his cheek in pain. why did they keep running into each other? was the universe determined to torture him by making him fight the same person over and over again?

dream gritted his teeth and raised his sword again, and george grabbed his spear to block just in time. they traded blows for a while, alone in the woods, metal boots crunching against the leaves. he twirled his sword in his hand and let the blade catch against the handle of george's spear, bringing up his foot to kick him in the stomach.

"why are you doing this?" george managed as his back hit the rough bark of another tree. dream stopped in his tracks for a moment at the question. _why are you doing this?_ because he loved the empire. because he owed it. 

"the empire's the only home i've ever had," dream said, pointing the tip of his sword at george's neck, the blade just barely touching his smooth, pale skin. "they saved my life. i'm only here now because of them, so i owe it to them to fight."

george laughed, almost like a mockery, and it made anger boil in dream's chest. "so that's why," he snapped, "not because you believe in them. not because you want to see them make the world _a better place._ but because you're in a debt to them. you know, they say that before you fight a war you have to know _what_ you're fighting for."

his sword hovered over george's neck as he hesitated. one plunge. one step forward and george would be dead, him and his stupid white-framed goggles and mocking questions. but he'd succeeded in confusing dream, doubt taking seed in his heart and growing around it.

"i believe in the empire," he said, though he sounded more pathetic than anything.

"okay," george said, curling up, digging his fingers into the dirt, "you know, the citadel took me in, too. after the empire took my home. i guess they'll take my life, too." _what a dramatic brat,_ dream thought, stepping back to stare at him. 

he remembered how george had let him go, that night in the citadel, lantern in hand and disgust in his eyes. if he owed the empire for saving his life, he guessed he owed george, too. and he could repay it, now, and kill him later. yes, that's what this was. his sense of justice and duty. he hadn't been swayed one bit by george's weird questions.

that's what he told himself as he sheathed his sword and glared at george, walking away without another word.

❂ 

_the lovers: union, harmony, love, and attention. it indicates that one is finding balance within oneself and within others._

❂ 

everyone had always said that love was chaotic and weird and new territory, except it wasn't that way. not for dream. maybe he was the first person who'd ever experienced love like it was familiar, like it was warm, like it was home - it certainly felt like it.

"sapnap," he whispered, in the dark, rolling over in his bunk. even though sapnap wanted the top bunk, he'd insisted dream take it. dream leaned over the edge, swinging down to see the bunk below him. "sapnap. are you awake?"

a groggy sigh. "i am now," was the reply, and dream laughed guiltily. "what do you want, dude?" he heard sapnap shift atop his sheets, propping himself up on his arms to look at dream's upside-down face. 

"i - i couldn't really sleep." he hated to admit it, but sometimes he got nightmares - images of swords and blood and spears and goggles, though admittedly the last two were fairly recent ones. whatever the case was, he hated it, and he'd always wake up sweating and terrified. "can you come over here?"

sapnap sighed, and dream heard his sheets crinkle and shift again as sap slid off his bunk, climbing the ladder and pulling himself into dream's bunk. it sagged under his weight but held strong as they turned to look at each other, sapnap's soft, sleepy smile comforting and familiar.

silence fell over them a sap closed his eyes, and after a moment of admiring his peaceful face dream flushed and closed his own. their legs tangled under the blanket. sapnap shifted once and a while, and so did dream, but neither of them spoke. 

it might have been minutes or even hours until dream broke the silence. "sapnap," he whispered, and sap's eyes fluttered open. dream felt his heart well up with love, a feeling so indescribable the only thing he knew was that it felt a little like flying. like whatever was going on with his soul and his mind, his body couldn't keep up with, heart pounding twice as fast as it usually did. "i like you a lot."

if it was daytime, or if dream was any more awake, maybe he would have regretted it. if he was any more awake he never would have said it in the first place. but as it was his mind felt scrambled, all over the place, and he couldn't help but snicker at the look on sapnap's face.

"like... that?" he asked, hesitantly.

"yeah," dream breathed out, and they were so close. too close. yet neither of them moved away, staring, unblinking, into each other's eyes. dream never thought the colour grey could be warm, but he guessed sapnap's eyes were proof of the opposite. or maybe that was just sapnap's energy, his personality. dream couldn't figure it out, but he found himself thinking that if he could think about it for the rest of the eternity until he did, he would.

sap's hand was on his shoulder now, and dream was hyper-aware of it. "i - i like you too," he sputtered back, his voice lacking the enthusiasm and liveliness it usually had. this was more low, more serious, more genuine. "can i...?" he brushed his fingers past dream's lips and smiled, full of nervous energy.

dream let his eyes shut and nodded - he knew sapnap was more experienced with this than he was. and the kiss wasn't great, by any means - it was somewhat uncomfortable, and their noses butted together, and dream had no idea what he was doing.

but it felt right, in a way, and that was enough for him.

❂ 

_the lovers, however, also represents uncertainty - an indication that one has major choices to make, struggling with making the right decision._

❂ 

"why'd you let me go?" dream asked, quiet, restrained, stabbing his sword through the wood as he threw himself into the chair across from george. "that night at the citadel. at the border. you let me escape. why?"

george looked at dream, fingers inching toward the spear on his back like he was considering killing dream - but they were in a bar, and no matter who won it wouldn't be very wise. so instead he sighed and looked down at the plate of sausages in front of him. he stabbed one with his fork as if imagining it to be dream.

"promise you won't laugh," he said, lips drawn into a pout.

_for a scary war general, he's such a brat,_ dream thought, shrugging and crossing his arms. "i don't make promises, pretty boy, but sure. i'll try my best." george flushed and rolled his eyes, placing his elbows on the table with a thud.

"don't call me that," he said, before sighing and shoving a piece of sausage into his mouth, chewing. "you want to know why i let you go that day? it's because i hate violence." he sighed, putting his fork down. "i know it sounds stupid, but - i hate blood. and death. and fighting in general."

true to his statement, dream didn't laugh, though he didn't even get the urge to. he was more curious than amused. "so why'd you choose to fight? and how'd you become general, anyway? have you never killed?"

"i have," george snapped, an endearing flush spreading across his cheeks at the weird looks the other customers gave him. his voice lowered at his next words. "i mean - yes, i have. but i try not to. it's just... i hate it. taking life. that's why i spared you at the citadel." he looked away and crossed his arms. "no other reason."

dream raised his eyebrow. "no other reason, huh," he said, and they fell into silence. they were probably both at least a little tipsy, if the empty mugs of beer at both sides of their table was anything to go off of. george kept picking at his sausages, and dream's eyes flitted from place to place.

_i just hate it. taking life._ maybe george had a point. he phrased it more like a personal aversion to it, but dream himself had never put much thought into what he was doing in the war. taking lives, ruining them, because he owed his own to the empire. maybe he was selfish for that. self-centred.

ever since he'd been taken in dream had been taught that all the knights and the citizens from the citadel were merciless. brutal. they had no kindness or compassion, killing without reason. he'd believed, of course, because what other choice did he have? clearly, george was the exception.

"no other reason," dream repeated, and george's eyes flicked back up to him, blush still prominent on his face. "you sure? you don't just have a soft spot for me, georgie?" he leaned forward, grinning, wiggling his eyebrows and struggling to keep balance with how dizzy he was. 

george rolled his eyes, frowning even when his face was as red as a tomato. "obviously not," he snapped back, crossing his arms at the persistent, smug look on dream's face. he stood up too, bristling, face right in front of dream's. his eyebrows were furrowed as they stared at each other, neither of them backing down, dream grinning and george pouting angrily with gritted teeth.

it was impossible to place who exactly had started it, who'd yanked the other toward them and pushed forward at the same time. all dream knew was that the next second their lips were pressed together, and it felt weird and right at the same time, and dream didn't know if everyone was staring at them. he didn't much care, either.

he fumbled, bringing his hand up to george's cheek. dream tilted his head to the right, smiling at the pleasant feeling of warmth racing up his chest, through his arms. george's mouth was soft, and nice, and tasted a little like beer, and dream knew he probably tasted the same.

when they pulled away, at the same time, dream felt a similar blush spread cross his cheeks. "well," he said, wiping at his wet lips, "that was - a thing. that we just did. uh..."

george rolled his eyes again (he did that often), though this time there was a small, cool smile on his face. "it was," he agreed, coolly, and all dream could do was stare.

❂ 

and so it continued, like that, and dream was too flustered and happy to do anything about it. he kept it a secret from wilbur, of course. no matter how much the emperor liked him, he'd surely be executed for making out with a general from the citadel, even worse that he was meeting up with him every week.

it felt good, in a way. to rebel. he knew it was bad, but he'd been so obedient his whole life. besides, he was wilbur's right hand! he'd helped him the most! without dream, the empire would be in pieces, crumbling like the pathetic cookies sapnap tried and failed to make. if anything, he was more of an emperor then the emperor himself was. he could do what he wanted, he told himself.

sapnap didn't know about george, either, and vice versa. that wasn't a big deal, either. they hadn't even met each other, and dream reassured himself that was fine. they'd both be fine. not to mention they were in the middle of a war, and dream didn't particularly feel like hurting their feelings.

maybe he was selfish. maybe he was self-centred.

but he was also smart, and dedicated, and helpful, and wise. he'd dedicated the entirety of his life to the empire, and he would continue to do just that, so obviously it was fine if he did a wrong or two. everyone made mistakes, right? he'd let it set. it was fine. it'd all turn out fine.

"hey, dream?" sapnap started, tangling their fingers together. "you okay there? i think you zoned out." dream looked down, caught up in the guilt of thinking about how much smaller george's hands were, or how much softer his lips were. "you've been doing that for a while now."

it was like that, comparing. he could never help it. he'd forgo it entirely if he could, because it definitely detracted from the experience - always thinking about the other, reminding him of what a bad, bad person he was.

"it's fine," dream said, like he always did, and when he saw the light in sapnap's eyes and the giddy smile on his face he never had the heart to ruin that for him. it was a little light in the darkness, peace during wartime, and who was he to take that away from his best friend? "it's fine, sap. besides, i have you."

then he smiled, charming, and it seemed to work, sapnap falling back into him. this time, the thought of george didn't even cross his mind.

❂ 

_the tower: represents chaos and secrets, and serves as a warning for destruction of people and foundations - inevitable and unavoidable._

❂ 

despite everything, not many people talked about how terrible war was, how tiring the battles were.

every time he'd come back to the city, battered and bruised and blood all over his armour, enough to rust and stain the metal. his sword crusted with the liquid, and he'd scrub it off during training time knowing full well a week or two later he'd be doing it all over again.

and every time wilbur would congratulate him and move on. a pat on a back, a wide grin, a promise that he was helping to build a better empire and a better nation. as time went on it annoyed him, how the emperor himself never fought, never made any decisions for the good of the kingdom. no, that was dream. and if he was going to be truthful, well.

he was sick of it.

maybe his home and his life was enough of a reward. maybe the fact that he was alive was a lifelong payment. if his life was created by the empire, what choice did he have but to devote it to them?

"it just sucks. it's weird," dream complained one day after a particularly long rant, back against the wall, side pressed against george's cold armour. outside the citadel, behind the walls. "i mean, they took me in, and i'm the emperor's right hand. shouldn't that be enough for me?"

"the citadel took me in, too," george said, pressing his hand to the brick behind them, "but you know, they still pay me, and stuff. and they let me do my own thing if i want to. this thing... well, it's a commitment, of course, but there's respect in it too." he turned to dream with half-lidded eyes and a grin. "even if the emperor sucks."

dream crossed his arms and sniffed. "the emperor does _not_ suck," he scoffed, even if it was half-hearted. he wondered how they'd gotten to talking about this, and he wondered whether it'd be rude to straight-out ask george if they could go back to making out.

he was about to when george placed his hands on dream's, looking up at him with wide brown eyes that dream had come to think of as cute, almost doe-like. "dream," he said, a murmur even though no one was around, "you should join us. you should join the citadel."

"what?" dream yelped, and george was quick to shush him. he lowered his voice, rubbing his thumb along george's knuckles. "george, i love you a lot, but... i don't know. the empire is my home. and i believe in it." _do i?_

_you know, they say that before you fight a war you have to know what you're fighting for._

did he? did dream know what he was fighting for? did wilbur even know what he was doing? everything dream knew about his emperor suggested otherwise. even if he called the shots, it'd still be wilbur sitting up there, taking all the credit, acting all high and mighty and acting like there was nothing wrong with the empire.

his emperor had started the war, and he didn't even have the brains or the guts to finish it. pushed it all onto dream, who, for the first time, felt like he was taking off rose-tinted glasses to see the truth - he was better than this. he wanted more. he needed more. he wanted to be appreciated.

there was george in the citadel, too. if they joined, maybe they'd get to be together - no more secrets. no more lies. that seemed nice. to just be them, out in the open, and he was sure they'd figure out.

but of course there was sapnap, his best friend (dream actually didn't know quite what he was to him yet), who he kissed and cared for and loved. and he knew that even if he ran away, joined the citadel, he wouldn't be able to help himself - to think about sap, in every touch and look and kiss.

"i - i don't know yet," was all dream said, "i'll think about it, george." this elicited a sigh out of george, and dream felt so bad he leaned forward to press their lips together. the night continued like it always did, except he couldn't help but think -

it was treason, he knew. but _what if?_

❂ 

"what is it this time, wilbur?" dream asked, letting the name slip before he could stop it. wilbur. not emperor. and although the other seemed happy at the new development, guilt quickly grew in dream's heart. he was forgetting his place. 

"there was a break-in a few days ago," wilbur said, running his hand along the desk, "we managed to stop it before it got out of hand, but some supplies were still stolen. and at this point in the war, we need them back. we managed to see who the _thieves_ were, though." he spat out the word with disgust. "two of the citadel generals named george and punz."

dream shuffled his feet guiltily when the first feeling to shoot through him wasn't anger, but pride. maybe george was a bit of a pacifist, but that didn't make him any less skilled - he felt a little bad for thinking so. after all, he was general for something, and it probably wasn't his subpar spear-fighting skills.

"what are you planning?" dream asked, pressing his finger against the maps spread out on the table. "we could always send bad - he's very stealthy and agile. what do you have in mind? we can't just charge them."

wilbur shook his head. "no, we can't," he agreed, "but i want you to go, dream. you and sapnap." dream raised his eyebrows in surprise. they weren't terrible at stealth or rescue missions, but they certainly didn't specialise in it. "i've already informed sapnap. you'll go with him in two hours."

"two hours? a - are you sure?" the slow, hot feeling of resentment started to curl up in his chest again as wilbur turned away, his back facing dream. he didn't even want to go on the mission - they'd just returned from battle a day ago, from which he'd gotten a large gash across his arm. another to add to the collection of scars he'd taken for the empire. 

"we took you in, remember, dream?" wilbur said, and dream clenched his fists. "you have to do this for us. for me. i trust you. i trust that you can do this." he nodded, a reassuring smile on his face as he clapped dream on the back. "for the empire."

he closed his eyes, steadying his breathing. maybe george was right. maybe there was nothing left for him in the empire. maybe it was time he got the appreciation and the attention he deserved. dream opened his eyes and smiled at wilbur, perhaps for the last time.

"for the empire."

❂

_judgement: is a representation of decisions being made, and new directions being embraced. to leave the dead past behind._

❂

"someone's here," sapnap said, hand shooting to wrap around dream's wrist. he smiled and they both stood up, supplies stuffed into duffel bags slung around their shoulders. dream slipped his hand from sapnap's and motioned that he was going out to investigate.

"stay here," he whispered, and sapnap nodded. he turned to leave, but before he could there was another hand on his arm, sap holding on to it. "what? what's wrong?"

he looked away shyly, grip loosening around dream's arm. "sorry," he murmured back, then grinned, "i love you." his voice was sly and smug yet affectionate all the same, just like sapnap himself was, and dream smirked.

"i love you too, dude." he stepped forward to plant a kiss on sapnap's cheek, smiling into sap's skin when he giggled at the feeling. "don't worry, i'll be back soon. stay safe, okay? and keep the supplies safe, too." 

dream threw his supply pack at sapnap, who caught it and nodded. without another word dream creaked open the door, into the cool night air. george had told him about the secret rooms in the outer walls of the citadel, and though dream thought it was hilariously stupid of him to do that, it came in handy.

besides, he wasn't planning on hurting the citadel in any way. not tonight. he needed to find george, who was usually guarding the walls around this time. but first, he also needed to deal with whoever was coming - footsteps growing closer and closer.

he wrapped his fingers around his sword hilt and gritting his teeth, lunged forward to whack whoever it was across the face. a familiar voice cried out as they fell onto their butt, spear tip digging into the dirt. dream gave a gasp and sheathed his sword, kneeling in the ground.

his luck must have been unparalleled that night. not only did he not have to fight anyone, but the person he was looking for was laying there in the dirt himself, wincing at the scrapes in his arm. unlike usual, he had his gauntlets off, bare skin against the earth. dream helped him up, careful to be quiet.

"dream? what are you doing here? i thought we were doing... _that_ tomorrow." even in the darkness the blush on george's face was obvious, and dream smiled at it, dusting the dirt off his gloves and pants.

"i came to take back the supplies you stole from us, georgie," he answered casually, and george stepped back, boots crunching in the dirt as his hand wrapped around his spear handle. "but i won't be giving it back to the empire. because i'm joining you, george. i'm joining the citadel."

for a moment george did nothing but stare with his eyes wide, open-mouthed, with shock. dream laughed and was about to reach for him when he lit up, bouncing on his heels. "pog! i knew you'd come to your senses one day. realise that the emperor is kind of an idiot."

his accent made the remark funnier and dream laughed. all he had to do now was convince sapnap, but that was the last thing on his mind. finally, he'd be hailed as a hero, praised and appreciated like he always should have been all along in the empire. with george.

in his excitement he leaned forward to give george a kiss, lips connecting as george gave a brief huff of laughter, hands coming to rest on dream's hips. his hands came up to rest on george's shoulder and his eyes fluttered shut - though they snapped open a second later when -

"dream?" a voice said, and he gave another gasp. his hands jolted from george's shoulders and he whipped around to see sapnap, eyebrows furrowed, white ribbon fluttering in the wind. the next second he growled and drew his sword, pouncing forward to hold it against george's neck. george gritted his teeth and his fingers twitched, looking to dream.

"sapnap, wait." sap looked to dream, confusion in his eyes. "this is george. he... i..." his eyes flickered down to his feet. of course it would come to this. all things came to an end, and they did for a reason. he took a deep breath and looked back up. "i've been seeing him for sometime."

silence as sapnap stepped back, sword lowering, betrayal written all over his face. his eyes darted back and forth between dream, lips drawn into a regretful frown, and george, reaching for his spear and strapping it across his back. "no," sapnap muttered, "no. you - you did something to him, didn't you?"

he pointed at george, who scoffed. "me? no. i didn't do anything." george grinned, and though usually his smiles were so bashful and shy, this one was filled with cruelty and coldness. "no. this was all him." without any more preamble george stepped back and called, " _guards!_ "

sapnap shook his head, tears in his eyes as he tried to desperately rub them away. "you _said_ , dream." his voice broke, shattered and cracked, and dream's breath caught in his throat. "you promised. you said you'd always be there for me too." 

"come with us, sap!" dream said, stepping forward as george squinted at the walls towering above them. he placed his hands on sapnap's shoulders and smiled. "i can still keep that promise! the empire - it's no good. not for me, not for us. if you come to the citadel, we'll both get the appreciation we deserve. doesn't that sound nice? we won't just be knights, sap. we'll be heroes. like we always said."

"like in the fairytales," sap whispered, eyes lighting up for a moment as footsteps thundered above them. then he looked down and pulled away, clenching his jaw and staring determinedly at dream. "no. whatever they did to you, i'll make this right. i'll come back for you, dream." he looked back at the guards appearing at the entryway. "i'll save you."

with that he started sprinting away, a few citadel guards chasing after him as dream cried out his name. sapnap, his best friend since they were kids - the person he cared for so much - he had to go after him. tell him that the citadel really was a good place, that they'd be okay if he just came with them -

a hand on his arm, holding him back. dream whirled around, growling, to see who was keeping him back from the person he'd loved maybe too much - only to see george, smiling. "dream?" he said, the toughness out of his place to be replaced with its familiar warmth. "you're with us now, remember?"

_sapnap,_ his brain yelled at him as he looked to see the sight of his best friend, retreating into the distance, running away - but there was george, and there was the citadel, and there was a world of admiration waiting for him. he'd get another chance. he'd convince sap some other time.

and for now he could let george lead him into the city, the feeling of their hands linked together, eyes fluttering shut and his lips quirking up into a smile because he knew he'd done the right thing. and even as he glanced back, one last time, he found that he didn't regret a thing.

❂

dream supposed sooner or later george would catch him staring at the pictures he kept in his album, and he supposed sooner or later he'd have to face him and talk about what he'd done. that time was now, then, sitting in his own personal office with a picture of him and sapnap in hand.

personal office. that was nice. it was great, actually. they gave him the money and the praise he deserved, paraded him around with medals and badges, and it was good. a hero, they called him. a noble who realised that he was on the wrong side of history.

maybe it was a bit of an over-exaggeration, and maybe george had a part to play in it, for all the gifts and rewards and the ego-inflating words. but he didn't mind it too much, even if he knew it. because it was george, and how could he be mad when all he was trying to do was help?

"you're not mad at me?" dream asked before george could say anything. he sighed and ran his thumb over the dirty, faded photo as george walked toward him, leaning against the desk he was sitting on, armoured hand running over dream's thigh. "you know... for sapnap."

"oh, trust me, i am," george said lowly, and dream looked up at him. "i mean... i was. it was wrong of you. but you joined me. you joined us." he smiled, tiredly, softly. "that's enough. at least now i don't have to fight you. besides, i'm sure sapnap was just something to keep you entertained, right?" his cockiness was back, the kind dream assumed was fake but seemed so genuine from george.

the comment made him frown. was that really all sapnap was to him? something to keep him entertained?

no, george was wrong. he wouldn't ever tell him that, of course, but sapnap meant so much more to him. even now, in his office, medals pinned to his chest and weapons lining the walls, he ached to go back to him. to convince him. to make everything okay again.

and yet, how could he? he'd left the empire for a reason. he wondered how wilbur was taking it - badly, most likely. maybe sapnap had taken his spot. whatever the case was, dream wanted him back. wanted normalcy back. was having sapnap back worth everything he'd suffered through before?

"yeah," dream lied, pushing down his guilt and sadness and longing. soft, squishy emotions - all he needed was his pride and his wits. and george, of course, even if they didn't have the history he and sapnap did.

george raised his eyebrow, pouting, and leaned forward to place his hand on dream's cheek, turning his face toward george. "hey," he said, "don't worry about it too much. if you care about him that much, when we win maybe we can convince eret not to execute him. make him a stablehand or something. it's fine."

with a hopeful smile dream reached to cup his own hand over george's on his face. "if you say so," he whispered, and george grinned.

❂

"king eret," george said, sweeping into a low bow. dream did the same before they both straightened, looking at the man sitting in the throne in front of them. wilbur never sat in his throne, claimed he always felt unworthy of it - looking back on it, dream thought he probably was. "thank you for agreeing to meet with us today."

"don't be so formal, general," he responded, folding down the piece of paper in his hands and placing it on one of the arms of his throne. it reminded him a little of wilbur, except he had so much more posture and so much more poise. even being in his presence made dream more confident. "what did you need?"

george motioned to dream. they'd talked about this before - an official pardon for sapnap, one of the opposing enemies. even thinking of him that way made dream want to curl up into a ball with guilt. because despite everything he'd chosen to believe, it didn't get better with time. it got worse.

there wasn't a day that went by where he didn't lay in bed, staring at the wall opposite him, longing for his best friend back. the only thing, the only person, that had ever been consistent throughout his whole life. through peace time, through war, through love, through hate. the only thing that ever stayed the same was sap.

being without him was being without one of his organs, like he was bleeding out and stumbling around in a daze. it was nice, with george, of course, with all the prizes and praise. and when george brushed his fingers against dream's thigh, or the back of his neck, or his arm - that was good, too, and for a while he could forget. but it always came back, the feeling of having something missing.

"i - i wanted to request something," dream stuttered out, and eret raised his eyebrows and nodded. he had sunglasses on over his eyes, and it was near impossible to tell how he was feeling. not being able to decipher him made dream feel all the more nervous. "there's... i..."

a hand on his back, george's, looking at him with slight concern in his eyes. "dream? go on, just say it. you said you wanted it, remember?" dream looked back at eret, who smiled reassuringly, but he still felt somewhat speechless, mouth dry.

he missed sapnap. god, he did. he hadn't realised how much he'd meant to dream, how integral he was to his life, before he was gone. dream missed his voice, his laughter, the way he'd smile and joke. and thinking of him - as an enemy - it fucking hurt. his breath sped up with guilt, forced to realise he'd defected - he'd run away - and begging for his very own best friend to be spared when they eventually captured him? hurt him? 

who had he become?

"sorry, we might - need a moment," george excused, and eret nodded, going back to reading whatever was on the paper. george pulled dream a little away and hissed, "what the hell is up with you? don't you want this? we're not gonna bother him with nothing."

"i - i'm sorry," dream stuttered out, still overcome with guilt and shame and _fear_ for what might happen to sapnap. and maybe this was just the bare minimum. maybe he wasn't doing anything heroic. it felt terrible, knowing that someday sapnap might be serving _him_ someday, as some lowly stablehand. dream didn't want that to be him, but what choice did he have? now that he'd run away? "i just hate to think of him as my enemy."

he placed his hands over his face and groaned into them, heart aching. it made no sense. why was he so worked up over this? it was just a simple request, he could do it, he could do this for sapnap...

george sighed, rubbing his hand on dream's shoulder. "fine, i'll do it for you. even if i don't like... whoever he is." his voice darkened, but he shook his head and looked back at dream, eyes tired and half-lidded. "you just... go back to your quarters."

"thanks, george," dream said, weakly, forced to be reminded of everything he took from everyone else. 

maybe he wasn't as much of a hero as he'd thought he was.

❂

tears welled up in dream's eyes as he took a step back, vision glued to the lone knight standing at the front lines. his breathing sped up like it had in the throne room, grip loose around his sword hilt. sapnap. _no. not here. not today._ why'd he have to get assigned to this section specifically? was it fate, or did the world just hate him? could he even bring himself to -

"dream, watch out!" an arrow skimmed past his ear just as someone pushed him to the right. he snapped out of his panic, looking down to see punz, one of the other soldiers, scanning the front lines for archers. 

"thanks, punz," dream said, though he still felt like throwing up. he stepped to his side and watched punz retreat to his position, turning back to see a battalion of empire soldiers charge at them. with difficulty he managed to swallow down the bile in his throat and raise his sword.

screams echoed out through the battlefield as the two sides slammed into each other, the sound of metal clanging and boots against the dirt. dream slashed through, taking down numerous people, trying to ignore the fact that some of their faces were familiar. nobody told him it would be this hard.

"dream?!" one of the soldiers yelled out, and dream screwed his eyes shut as he drove his sword blade into their chest. they fell to the ground with a bloody gurgle, red liquid pooling under their body. guilt coursed through his chest, so painful it made him want to rip his own hear out - but he didn't. he kept going. he kept pushing.

until he was met with a sword to his own, one familiar and silver and glinting in the light. dream reared back, stunned at the familiarity of it for a moment, barely able to raise his sword as another slammed against it. sapnap gritted his teeth, though there was sadness in his eyes.

they traded blows for a while, though neither of them seemed particularly eager to harm the other. "come back to us, dream," sapnap yelled over the noise as he lunged forward to point his sword beside dream's neck just as dream did the same, arms crossing as they stood face-to-face, neither of them moving, caught in the intimate position, each of their swords beside the other's neck. ready to cut. ready to kill. "what do you even see in them?"

"i've never had a reason to believe in the empire in the first place, sap," dream whispered, full of regret yet firm all the same, "the citadel - they actually have plans for this place. they're going to create a new government for the empire. no more of that lineage stuff. they'll let the people decide who'll rule."

for a moment sapnap looked away, as if considering it. "i..."

"and wilbur - he doesn't know what he's doing," dream continued, cringing at the cold feeling of metal against his neck, "you know that, sap. he's a good man. but he's not fit to rule." sapnap's hand shook and pressed further into dream's skin. any more and he would start to bleed. "sapnap, please."

sapnap seemed to fight himself, before clenching his jaw and drawing away quickly, letting his sword hang at his side. it left a small cut on dream's neck, and he rubbed at it as sapnap glared at him. "it's true what wilbur said, then," he spat out, though there was still sme sort of confusion in his eyes. "you're gone."

"i don't have to be," dream said, a last ditch attempt. he didn't want to go. leave george or the citadel or king eret behind, because he really did believe in them, and what they stood for. he didn't want to owe anyone anything anymore, and he sure as hell wasn't going to blindly follow the empire like he used to. "you said it yourself, sap. said you didn't want me to be lied to. well, i realised that i was the whole time, and now i'm doing something about it. come with me. i don't want to lose you."

"i -" sapnap's voice cracked, but he let out a breath and straightened, "- i don't want to lose you either, dream. but this is my home. i owe the empire, just like you did. and i'm not turning back on everyone else just for you."

he didn't attack, just sheathed his sword, turned on his heel, and ran. retreating, maybe. or off to kill dream's allies, the people he'd once called enemies. he saddened at the thought, but then again, he never really had time for sadness or squishy emotions.

so instead he tightened his grip on his sword and charged in once again. 

❂

"we're winning," george said, leaning against the window. he was fiddling with his white-framed aviator goggles, drumming his fingers against the lenses in his hands. the sun was rising, and through the glass they both saw the remains of what they'd assumed was the empire's try at a siege.

it failed, of course. wilbur really was a mess without dream, and clearly sapnap either wasn't trying his best, or he really wasn't a good substitute for dream. he suspected it was the latter. _no one_ was a good substitute for him - he was dream, and that was that. no one else could even compare or come close.

"we're winning," george repeated, "don't you feel happy?" he raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms, swinging his goggles around and around on his finger in a circle. "and don't tell me you miss - what was his name? snapmap?"

"sapnap," dream corrected irritably as george slid from the window sill to sit on the arm of the chair dream was sitting on, legs tucked together. "i'm just stressed. i hate war. i mean, i love fighting, but i hate war. knowing i can die, or you can die any moment? it's just... bad."

it was a partial truth. he was still worried about sapnap. the deal with eret was that he'd be protected if they managed to take him in, or he was alive after the surrender. but on the battlefield, it was different. there were no limits, no holds barred. hell, he could be dead the moment they were speaking. maybe he'd died in the siege, or in an assassination, or...

a hand on his cheek, turning his face toward him, as george was so fond of doing. "don't be so worried. i'm sure he's fine, and i'm sure we will be too." he let his hand, cold metal against dream's skin, slip down as he sighed. "you know, i don't have many friends."

"why not?"

george blushed. "i don't know! i guess i'm shy. i'm not very good at talking to people. and those who do put in the effort usually regret it." he leaned against dream, smiling sadly. "but you... i mean, i know we tried to kill each other. obviously. but you were kind of different."

dream furrowed his eyebrows. "how so?" he asked, and there was a long silence between them as george shrugged, staring at the wall as if it would give him answers. eventually, he shook his head, fingers curling into dream's dirty blonde hair.

"well, you gave me a chance for one. not many other people would have," was all he said, and dream grinned, grateful that he had. a new life, new opportunities, a better path, and _george..._ he leaned forward to kiss him, and george pulled a mocking, disgusted face. "idiot."

"your idiot," dream shot back, lips moving against the skin of george's collarbone, "we're idiots together. two idiots, winning a war." the thought of it made him burst with pride, despite everything he'd said before about the subject. "we'll win the war, george. and when we do, we'll both be alright. all of us."

and although george's expression darkened at the words _all of us,_ he leaned back into dream anyway. "if you say so," he said, echoing dream's words back to him, and they closed their eyes, basking in each other's presence for what might be one of the last times.

❂

eret stared up at the walls of the empire and grinned.

"this attack will cause the empire to crumble, dream," he said, confidently, light reflecting off the dark shades of his glasses. "don't look so worried. we'll succeed with this, and i'm sure your - friend will be okay." his deep voice took on a dismissive quality at the last few words, and it made dream's heart ache.

"of course, sir," dream replied, fidgeting with his fingers, with the hilt of his sword slung on his belt. he breathed in and tried to shake away his concern. "i just want to see the citadel succeed. and i hate bloodshed, is all," dream added, hoping eret would agree.

to his relief, he did. "i do too," he said, clapping his hand on dream's back, "but this is the only way. the empire must fall, and it's our responsibility to put that into action." he stepped back and turned to the battalions behind him, ready to set the buildings ablaze. dream let out a breath and put on a determined look as eret nodded. "down with the revolution, boys," he yelled to the soldiers, lips curling into a grin. "it was never meant to be."

dream scowled with all the anger and resolve he had in him and turned, to the waiting archers, countless people armed with bows and catapults, ready to shoot - ready to lay waste to what he'd once called home - and he shouted, _"fire!"_

it was almost beautiful, he thought, watching the arrows and fire shoot toward the stone. strings of orange, vibrant flame hurtling through the air, lighting up the soldiers beneath them, shades of yellow reflecting across glass.

and in a moment it was gone as the windows shattered, screams echoing through the air. dream watched with a mixture of pity and pain as his city was set ablaze, fires dancing across the large wooden double doors engraved into the walls. he clenched his fists at his side, trying to resist the urge to rip his heart right out to stop the guilt he felt in his chest.

the drawbridge lowered as the two doors swung open, and dream cringed at the horrible strategy as he drew his sword. it was almost like wilbur was making it too easy for them as the empire knights surged forward toward them. dream started to charge forward, but eret held him back.

"wait," he said, much to dream's confusion. as their enemies advanced, eret grinned and tugged a piece of dynamite from his jacket pocket with his right hand, his left flicking a lighter open. dream narrowed his eyes. 

"sir? it's - it's a single piece. what are you doing?" he asked.

eret shook his head as if he knew something dream didn't. "you really think george and punz were just there to steal supplies?" he questioned, and dream's eyes flickered back to the dynamite just as eret lit it up. he smirked, gripping the dynamite and flinging it toward the ground as hard as he could.

the fire ran up the fuse and dream's eyes widened, realising much too late what eret was talking about. every memory of sapnap - his home - wilbur - flashed through his mind as he screamed, " _wait -!"_

but it was far too late, and with an explosion that set off a chain reaction, the ground erupted into flames.

❂

_death: signifies a time of change. associated with not only loss, but also the forfeiture of old beliefs and issues. represents ends and beginnings._

❂

night had fallen over the citadel, and dream leaned against its outer walls, the words of his king echoing over and over again in his head. _the empire is in shambles._ he spun a dagger between his fingers with increasing frustration. _any minute now and wilbur will be crawling to us to surrender._

"agh!" he cried out when the dagger cut into one of his fingers, falling the ground. he inspected the scratch, the small bubble of blood trailing down, and he wiped it against his pants. dream bent down to pick up the dagger and sighed, staring up into the sky.

he hadn't seen sapnap at all. not during the explosion, not when they had rushed in to take the city. right. it was theirs, now, the city. the only thing that still belonged to the empire was the castle. that was probably where sapnap was right now, plotting dream's downfall...

well, not like he could. not only was the empire broke and probably running out of supplies, sapnap had never been the smartest at strategy. maths, science - that was more his speed, but he was a follower, not a leader. and wilbur had made yet another grave mistake by letting him in charge of an army.

to be fair, it was minuscule army. even if dream was in charge of it, he doubted he'd win. it was hopeless for the empire either way, and maybe that was a good thing. it was _supposed_ to be a good thing, for him at least, and beyond the guilt he really could feel happiness. joy. pride. a sort of anticipation for the world to come.

and yet below all that he still felt a little shameful. maybe he should've done it sooner, so he'd have more time to convince sapnap. he should've taken sap with him, then they'd win together - and he never should've been with both of them together... he'd hurt sapnap in so many ways, and here he was, destroying his former home.

if sapnap was alive at all. and bad - god, bad. dream wondered how he was taking it. he wouldn't be mad - he was so sweet, and kind, and compassionate. surely he'd understand. surely he wouldn't be angry, even if he was sad. the thought of bad being angry made his hands want to shake. god, he hoped bad was alive, too. if he'd killed him, dream would never forgive himself.

"dream?!" a voice made him jump, and he stepped back at the familiarity of it. "oh, thank god, i thought you wouldn't be here. i'm so lucky you are." before he could process, snap out of his daze, sapnap leapt out of the woods next to the citadel's walls. 

dream gasped, crying out sapnap's name, forgetting for a second where they were. he didn't look hostile and so dream ran forward, abandoning his station, to wrap his arms around sapnap and spin him around, eyes scrunched shut as tears pricked in his eyes. "you're alive!"

a sniff came from sapnap and dream's eyes widened, putting him down. tears of his own were dripping down his cheeks, but they didn't look like happy tears, with red rimmed eyes and gritted teeth. dream placed his hand over sapnap's wrist and was about to talk when sapnap spoke.

"they killed him," sapnap whispered, squeezing dream's shoulders. "they killed bad."

"bad?" dream murmured, unable to understand the words for a moment as sapnap collapsed, kneeling, hands over his face. dream felt his breath catch at the sight as he sank to his knees as well, hands wrapping around sapnap's wrists to try to pry them away. in the back of mind he vaguely thought about how he'd just been thinking about that, like some bad omen. "but - why? he was so..."

sapnap shook his head. "he - they -" he choked on a sob yet again, "wilbur said - he _said_ we had to eliminate any possible traitors. any - any inside spies or - whatever he said!" his voice rose in anger, cracking on the last word as his hands clenched into fists. "bad - he didn't deserve it. they just... killed him. like that." 

his hands were shaking now, and dream clasped his own over them to try to comfort him even though everything was blurred by his own tears, the urge to vomit rising in his throat. "wilbur did that?" he asked, voice trembling. dream knew wilbur was incompetent - made a few bad choices, certainly.

but to kill bad? one of his most skilled knights? and not to mention the sweetest person he'd ever met? dream's breathing sped up. was wilbur just stressed, worried about the outcome of the war? spiraling into madness? 

or had he always been this way, when he'd set people to the guillotine left and right, and had dream just been lucky enough to never be the victim of it?

he let his forehead rest against sap's, staring at the ground as he tried to steady himself, to make sense of the world around him. bad was gone. bad, who was so sweet, who couldn't have possibly been a spy, who tried to help everyone around him always. who never let anyone be alone, who hated violence so so much. who replaced cuss words with pastry names, which was oddly endearing.

gone. all gone. because of his emperor. the man he used to put his faith into.

dream sucked in a breath as sapnap cried into his shoulder, curling his fingers into the fabric of dream's shirt. any semblance of doubt and guilt washed away in his mind, to be replaced by hot anger and determination.

wilbur would die for this. dream would make sure of it.

❂

george sat by the window like he had the day before the siege, except this time his face was impassive, impossible to read. mouth and eyebrows flat as he rested his arm on one of his knees, drawn up to his chest while the other hung off the sill.

dream had half a mind to call him a brat, but he figured that'd probably make him grumpier. instead he set down his pen and sighed, asking, "what's wrong, george?"

"nothing," was the immediate response, and dream knew it was lie. it probably had something to do with sapnap, his defection, his newfound home in the citadel, and how it meshed with dream and george's relationship.

even if he had no idea what that relationship was quite yet. were they courting? lovers? neither of them had time to talk about it, what with the war growing more intense - one misstep in a strategy could lead to their downfall. they had to be careful, their defenses and tactics had to be airtight. 

which left them no time, really, to live as people. 

"it's just... sapnap." george spat out the name like it was a curse, and dream frowned at it. sapnap had been hostile to george even after he'd defected - and, well, he was like that to dream, too, after their lost trust - but this was different. somehow more aggressive.

"what about him?" dream questioned, and george stayed silent for a moment, as if thinking. "if this is about him being all rude to you... well, you understand why, right? i mean, he was more suspicious of the empire than i ever was, but he still loved that place like i did."

this made george's face soften into something more thoughtful rather than angry, although his eyebrows stayed furrowed. "and he's not being the nicest to me, either. it's not a personal thing, george, he just needs time." 

it was true - sapnap had stayed locked up in his quarters ever since they'd met in the forest, and dream didn't have the heart to push. after all, bad was... gone, and sapnap had been there to witness it. even now dream felt confused, hazy, like he couldn't quite accept it.

"i'm sure he does," george said, not maliciously, but more dully, like he didn't quite believe. that was enough, dream supposed - he didn't really expect george to be on board with everything all at once. he just hoped they'd be able to talk to each other civilly sometime in the future, after their inevitable win of the war.

the sound of a door creaking open made both of them turn toward the entrance, and in stepped sapnap. dream thought he heard george mutter _speak of the devil,_ but he chose to ignore it and stood up as sapnap approached with papers in hand. 

"these are the things i managed to take from our dorms before running away," he murmured, shoving the parchment into dream's hands. when george peered over to look at them, sapnap leaned forward and bared his teeth. "they're not for you, _georgie._ "

"don't call me that! empire..." george narrowed his eyes, searching for an insult. " _scum._ " 

sapnap rolled his eyes and grinned cruelly. "i'm hurt," he cooed back, voice mocking, and george flared up in anger even more. dream cleared his throat, and george scoffed and turned back to looking out the window. "pff. at least i can read."

dream glanced between them, anxiously and tiredly awaiting the words of who would speak next, though he was a little surprised at what they were when george did. "that's a myth," he said, anger seemingly gone, voice flat. sapnap raised his eyebrows. "people in the citadel can read. the empire just keeps saying we can't."

"oh," dream said, looking at george, even if he wasn't looking back. just another thing to add to the list of the lies the empire had told them. with every one it felt a little harder to forgive, and a little easier to deal with the fact that they were his enemy now. "that... sucks."

all george did was sigh, and sapnap shrugged, turning and walking out of the room without another word. he slammed the door behind him, causing george to flinch. they were quiet again for a while, interrupted by the sound of dream speaking. "he'll warm up to you. someday, george. i promise," he reassured.

even if he had no idea when that someday would be.

❂

dream didn't know how it had happened.

one second, he was lying in his bed, in his bunk, staring up at the ceiling in silence; trying desperately to go to sleep - next second he was bawling like a baby into the sheets of his bed, tears dripping down his face, two words repeating in his mind over and over like some sick mockery. _he's gone._

"bad's gone," he whispered to himself, choking on his words, at the barely visible fabric creases in front of him. wave after wave of sadness and guilt and anger hit him - bad was dead, and it was wilbur's fault. no, maybe it was dream's fault - for leaving. but what did it matter? it didn't change anything -

"dream?" a voice said, and he stopped being so tense for a second, his breaths calming into stuttered sobs rather than intense hyperventilating. "what the fuck? are you okay?" the sound of footsteps made their way to his bed, and he glanced at sapnap, looking concerned despite the sullenness written all over his face previously. "why are you _crying?_ "

he clenched his hands into fists yet again and then relaxed them, flopping over to lay on his back, going back to staring at the ceiling with flat darkness in his eyes. "because bad's gone, sapnap," he said dully, no emotion left in him that he could express - too many that they all came out null. "and it's all my fault."

the bed creaked under sapnap's weight as he clambered atop it, kneeling on the mattress next to dream. "it's not your fault," he said, earnestly, "dream, you haven't been the most... honest person. i would know. but this? wasn't your fault. you remember, don't you? how wilbur used to see the guillotine as punishment for everything? he's always been like this."

"yeah," dream murmured out, weak, even if he still felt shame squeezing his heart like a vice. "he means well, but... no time for forgiveness now. not after bad." his fingers twitched as if reaching for a weapon, and dream sighed.

seeming to sense his dejection, sapnap rolled his eyes and lit up the lamps around the room with the matches on dream's bedside table. as the room was cast into a flickering, yellow glow, dream rubbed his eyes and sat up, watching as sap sat by the edge of this bed and shuffled through the papers he'd given dream before.

"you read these yet?" he asked, and when dream shook his head, he gave a small smile, lips quirking up in the corners in a way dream hadn't seen in so long. he missed it. he missed sapnap, even now when the other was sitting in his bed. "good. we can do it to cheer you up. distract you."

they settled into each other, legs tucking under the blankets as sapnap spread the papers out, picking one up. it was covered in childish chalk drawings and the handwriting, written in faded-away ink, was stilted and barely legible. "i think that's me," sapnap said, pointing at one of the stickmen, with black hair and the outline of a ribbon around its head.

his finger drifted over to the drawing beside, tapping at it. "that's you," he pointed out, at the stickman with brown-blonde hair and freckles that looked more like a skin disease than anything. "huh. we were really bad artists."

"yeah, well, at least we're recognisable in these," dream said, and though sapnap didn't laugh like he usually would, he did smile a little. that was enough for dream, and he smiled too. "god, our writing's terrible as well. i can barely read this. _sappynappy and.... dreamie._ god. we were weird kids."

he turned to see the smile fading off sapnap's face, replaced by him staring at dream in the soft, low light. dream tilted his head, worried he'd said something wrong, but sap just shook his head and shuffled to the next page. his black hair fell between his eyes, ruffled and messy, and dream wanted to tuck it behind his ear.

but he didn't, hand falling limply to his side as sapnap pulled out another sheet of parchment, yellowing and dusty. "this was that one time we tried writing a story," dream whispered, recognising the first few words already, the alternating handwriting.

it was almost poetic, he thought, how much he remembered sapnap's handwriting. the way he curled his _g_ 's and _y_ 's. the way he wrote the letter _z_ with the cross through it, and no matter how many times dream had complained about it being ugly he'd always secretly thought it was endearing.

dream hadn't seen sap's writing in years, but he still remembered. every little detail of it. 

"more like you dragged _me_ into writing a story with _you,_ " sapnap shot back, dragging his finger along the lines. "should we read it? i think it's really bad, though." dream nodded and cleared his throat, starting out with the first paragraph, then on to the next.

sapnap was right about one thing; the story was bad. it made dream cringe every few words, and he could tell that the young version of himself had sprinkled in some verbose words to sound smart, while sapnap's sentences were terrifyingly bland. but the story was appealing, in a way - maybe it was just a nostalgia, but it felt like it contained the shadows of their past and the memories they'd made. a small piece of who they'd once been before everything came crashing down.

into war. into battle. into betrayal of trust. though dream supposed that last bit was all his fault, and even if he didn't regret it there was still a tinge of wistfulness in his heart, along with curiosity. what they could have been. what they never could be now.

" _and with that final word_ ," dream read aloud, " _he plunged his sword into his best friend's chest, killing him. he'd won_." he looked up. "man, i was a morbid child, wasn't i?" to his delight, sapnap was laughing, and though it was brief and short-lived it made dream all too happy to hear.

"kind of poetic, in a way," sap said, "how the other character loved his best friend anyway. even though he was wanted to kill him for a game." something flickered beneath his eyes, but he shook his head. "i'm tired. you cheered up yet?"

dream's fingers twitched. "sapnap? i'm sorry." the apology made sapnap raise his eyebrows, taken aback at the sudden admittance. "i know i should have been more... tactful, about leaving. and i shouldn't have - with george. and i know you might not ever, but i hope you'll trust me again."

there was silence for a while, until sapnap reached over and patted dream's hand awkwardly. "i don't trust you again yet," he admitted, "i mean, this takes a long time to get over. but you still mean a lot to me, dream. maybe not as... whatever we were before, but as one of my only friends."

light lit up in dream's green eyes as he smiled.

"that's all i can ask for."

❂

the second dream turned round the corner, he jumped back behind it, hiding behind the wall.

"yes, well," one of the voices was saying, "dream's always been a little stubborn, hasn't he? i guess you'd know that." george. dream had the urge to jump out, but first, he wanted to hear what the he and sapnap had to say about him.

"he is. i'm surprised you know that, but - i mean, it's not very hard to see," sap said, and dream was surprised by the fact that they were getting along in itself. "even back in the empire... he was so passionate about everything. maybe he was just in denial about everything he saw wrong in it, but he was always so snappish whenever someone talked bad about it."

for a second dream felt a little bad, but he was brought back to attention by the sound of george snorting. "that's true enough. should've seen him when i first met him. he was nearly unbearable." dream flushed at the words, but the two soon lapsed into silence.

just when dream assumed they wouldn't be talking any more, george spoke up again. "i know it was pretty shit of him," he started, and sapnap hummed in response, "that he did what he did. but he cared about you. he still does. wouldn't stop blabbering about you even when you were still with the empire."

"really?" sapnap's voice was different now, more full of hope, like the thought of it hadn't even occurred to him. "he talked about me?" silence followed, and dream could only assume that george had nodded. "wow. that's... i didn't really expect that."

"me neither," george shot back rudely, before sighing. "sorry. i suppose you're not all bad... sapnap." in the quiet that followed dream smiled, heart lifting at the thought of the two people he loved finally talking like friends. "i didn't mind it too much. he loves you. i have to deal with that, because i love him too."

the sound of shuffling. "you mean, you're okay with it? him, courting both of us at the same time?" sapnap hummed in consideration. "i suppose i am, too. i just wish he'd told us before. that would've made it so much easier." 

"tell me about it," was george's deadpan reply, "but i suppose. i was only so... harsh because i thought you were one of... _those_ empire knights. but you're not so bad. i guess i can see why dream liked you so much." george gave a small laugh. "i can deal with you."

sapnap laughed, so bright and clear like he once had been. it gave dream hope, that maybe sap could return to normalcy one day. "ha! i can deal with you, too." they both stayed quiet for a moment before sap broke the silence yet again. "so, what is it you said you liked? ...tennis? funny name."

"it is. but it's a fun game. i'll show you how to play." dream heard the sound of footsteps retreating down the hall, and he almost stepped out to follow them to the court, but at the last moment he decided against it.

after all, he didn't want to ruin their moment.

❂

"hey. you ready?" dream asked, and sapnap jumped at the sound. they were surrounded by the other soldiers, preparing for battle, the various noises of swords being sharpened and cannons being loaded around them. "jeez, sap, don't be so jumpy."

"i'm _not,_ " he protested, sheathing a dagger. "and yeah, i'm ready. and i'm okay," he added, before dream could ask. then he jerked his head to the side. "if there's anyone that you need to ask that, i think it's george." they both turned and looked up to see george, barely making out the figure of him sitting near one of the turrets. 

he furrowed his eyebrows, wondering why george would be sad. if anything, he thought it would've been sapnap, but aside from nerves he seemed to be fine. dream sighed and nodded, glancing back at sapnap as he headed up the staircase. _good luck,_ he mouthed playfully, and dream rolled his eyes.

the walk up was a long one, and he thought that perhaps he shouldn't be wasting his energy to talk to george, but he'd already come so far up and he wasn't going to go back down. his legs ached by the time he reached the top of the castle walls, among the turrets and crossbows positioned around.

it took some time to find george, but he eventually did. goggles nestled in his dark brown hair, with wind blowing through it, pale skin covered up by armour and gauntlets. spear strapped to his back, the ribbon wrapped around the middle of the handle fluttering. 

"george," was all dream said as he approached, arms crossing on the brick that george was sitting on.

"dream," george said, simply, in response, and they sat there for a while, watching the sun rise into the sky. it was early morning, and dawn was breaking, the sky a multitude of pale colours. 

dream looked up at george's side profile, the way he stared into the distance, eyes darting around ever so often like he was searching for something. "george?" he questioned, and the other hummed to show he was listening. "is something wrong?"

george tugged at his gauntlet, unstrapping the armour to expose his gloved hand, fabric cut away at his knuckles. he patted the brick beside him, and dream hopped up onto it, sitting on the warm surface. looking down, the height gave him a sense of vertigo that was both strange and weirdly pleasant.

"i'm just sad," he admitted, "a little bit. i know it's stupid. yes, i think wilbur's... senile, and unfit to rule. and yes, i know i've been working this whole time toward this, but - i don't want to see the empire fall. not like this."

this struck dream as strange as he narrowed his eyes. "what? but... why?"

when george turned to look at dream, his eyes were wide, shiny, full of sadness. he smiled, so watery and weak dream almost wanted to cry himself. "i knew wilbur," he whispered, voice cracking at the name, "we were friends, dream. back home."

"home... the citadel?" dream guessed, and george just shook his head. dream struggled to make sense of the words coming out of george's mouth, nails scratching against the surface of the brick. 

"not the citadel. the town we lived in, before the empire decided to destroy it." there was bitterness in his voice now as he combed his fingers through his hair in agitation. "he wanted to go with them. with the empire. i didn't want to. i didn't want to serve the kingdom that took away my home." he paused and took a deep, shaky breath. "wilbur did, though. look at him now."

"look at him now," dream echoed, before something struck his mind. "but that doesn't make sense. the empire's system is based on patriarchy. if wilbur wasn't the emperor's son, then he wouldn't have the throne."

george laughed. "it's ridiculous, isn't it?" he rubbed at his eyes. "you don't know? the emperor at the time didn't have a son, so he adopted wilbur instead. though i suppose with all the propaganda, i see why you'd think it was... legitimate." 

"so the emperor is..." dream leaned back on his hands, leg swinging against the castle walls as he worked through the new information. "a bastard."

"uh... i don't think that's what the word means. not in the way you're using it." dream flushed but smiled when george rubbed his forehead and giggled. "but in the other sense of the word? yes. the emperor's a damned bastard."

they both were quiet for a second, before dream started laughing, shoulders shaking as he clung onto the surface to keep from toppling off the walls to his death. his laughter seemed to surprise george, who stared at him with raised eyebrows; then he joined in, laughing atop the citadel castle walls, hours before a battle where they might lose their lives.

when they both finally calmed down from their bout of laughter - even though happiness was still coursing through dream's veins like blood - george turned to look at dream, face pale in the light of the sun, now high in the sky. it was time, then.

"we can do this," dream said, and george gave a smile - one of the rare ones, dream came to learn, one that was filled with pure, genuine joy instead of sarcasm or harshness. he looked down at the people below them, sapnap among the crowd. and bad. he'd do this for bad, too.

"together."

❂

_justice: represents karma, as well as cause and effect. it is concerned with truth, honesty, and integrity; balance and imbalance._

❂

with a growl dream drove his sword into a soldier's breastplate, sword breaking through metal, blood spurting out of the wound.

he stepped back, and one of the other generals pointed toward one of the entrances. "there! the throne room!" they shouted before they were back to fighting another one of the empire knights, metal clanging as their swords crossed. dream caught sight of george and ran toward him.

"where's sapnap? have you seen him?" dream asked, and george turned to look at him, kicking the head of another one of the knights on the floor and stabbing the blade of his spear into their arm. 

"i saw him by the projectiles earlier," george answered, looking toward the entrance. "the throne room's just that way. we'll have to go without him." another wave of soldiers were trying to stab through the doors they'd locked. "come on. no time to waste."

george hefted his spear and sprinted across the room. laughing despite the circumstances, dream followed, hacking through the fancy gold locks that chained the door. they burst into the room, where wilbur was backed into a wall, blue jacket torn and sword gleaming hand.

"it's over," dream announced as george kicked the door close behind them. he lifted his sword at wilbur, the tip of it pointing at him as they stood across from each other, on opposite sides of the room. the throne itself was empty, crown discarded on the red plush cushion, light streaming in through the giant stained glass window behind it.

all wilbur did was make a dismissive sound, wavy brown hair falling between his eyes as he retreated even further. when his back hit the wall dream grinned. _nowhere else to run._ "i don't think so, dream," he said, despite his hopeless situation. "why? why did you betray the empire?"

"i don't know, emperor. why'd you kill bad?" his voice broke at his name, and wilbur jerked back at it, an expression of - pity? regret? - crossing his face for only a second. "you know him. bad was the nicest person i ever knew. the kindest, too." he walked toward wilbur, slowly, sword blade making a dent in the ground as he dragged it through the floor. "and he never in a million years would have done what you did."

at this wilbur seemed to have no choice but to give in. "i admit," he started, rubbing at his face, "i regret that. bad was... loyal. he was a good man. if i could turn back time, i would spare him." he clenched his fists. "but it's come to pass, dream."

"you know what won't come to pass?" dream retorted, hands shaking around his sword. "the grief and the sadness that you caused us. everyone bad loved and helped and everyone who loved and helped him. do you think they'll say it's _in the past?_ his family? his friends? his husband?"

"that's what war is. loss is inevitable."

this time it was george stepping forward to speak. "a war _you_ started," he spat, "a war that _you_ drag on, because you're - war-hungry, and violent, and refuse to make any diplomacies! all you want is control, wilbur."

wilbur raised his eyebrow as the two advanced, cornering him, though his sword was still held high in defiance. "and who are you?" he asked, and when dream turned to george, he looked hurt, dropping his stance in surprise.

"i'm george," he said, his eyebrows furrowed and knitted together in confusion as his grip on his spear loosened. "what, you don't remember me? we used to be friends, remember? back home." wilbur made a dismissive sound and george gritted his teeth. "how - how _could_ you -"

"george," dream warned, and george sighed, tensing up and holding his spear up. "you know what? enough talk. like i said, wilbur, it's over. for you and for the empire."

wilbur scoffed and cracked his knuckles, fingers wrapping around his own sword hilt. "not if i have anything to say about it," he said, and he lunged.

❂

it wasn't as easy as dream thought it would be, fighting the man he used to devote his life to.

the blade of his sword clashed against wilbur's and dream groaned when wilbur lifted up his boot to kick him back. dream fell back, recovering quickly to swing again just as george charged, catching both of wilbur's swords against the handle of his spear. they went back and forth for a while, dream watching, not making a move in fear of hurting george.

when wilbur landed a slash on george, cutting across his waist, dream jumped forward. their blades held against the other's with a clang, and with his other sword wilbur held george off, cornered between the two of them in a stalemate.

"just give up, will," george hissed through gritted teeth as his spear pressed against wilbur's sword. "you know you're going to lose this." wilbur gave a grunt and his eyes shot around for a means of escape. "you -"

wilbur loosened his grip on both of his swords and dream and george lunged at the same time - but he ducked under their weapons, and kicked dream's feet from under him, punching george in the stomach as he tried to get his spear out of where he'd embedded it in the wall in an attempt to stab wilbur.

when george finally yanked it out of the brick wilbur kicked him back, sending him tumbling across the floor. "i don't want to hurt either of you," he said, slowly, picking up his swords, "that's not what the empire stands for."

"really?" dream spat as he tried to regain his breath, hefting his sword up. the three stood in their spots for a moment, weapons at the ready, stances tense. "then what _does_ the empire stand for, emperor? and what do _you_ stand for?"

"honesty," wilbur replied, which made dream bark out an incredulous laugh, "integrity. strength. truth. bravery. kindness." at this dream laughed again, bitterly, like he couldn't believe it. kindness? what kindness had they shown bad when they'd decided to kill him? "and doing what needs to be done."

with that he lunged - not at dream, but at george - stabbing his sword directly into his stomach. george yanked his other sword out of his hands, clattering across the floor, spear blade slicing across wilbur's face - but the damage had been done. he stumbled back, amour broken, blood pouring out of his wound.

he coughed and jerked his head toward wilbur, who was staring at his own hands. dream wanted to rush to george, make sure he was alright, but there was no time. he jumped at wilbur and his sword crashed against wilbur's remaining one, the sound of metal against metal ringing out through the throne room.

"it's over," dream said, voice breaking at the scared expression on wilbur's face - in another lifetime, he'd still be standing with the empire, fighting alongside him. in another lifetime, surely the empire would have won. but that wasn't this life, nor was it this world, and he meant what he said. it was over. 

pressing harder, more force against dream's own sword, he forced out another few words. "give up. surrender! i don't want to hurt you either!" wilbur seemed to hesitate for a second, and finally, he sighed. his grip on his sword hilt loosened and he looked up at dream.

"fine," he said, voice desolate and bitter, and dream sighed in relief. despite everything - despite bad - he wasn't sure he could bring himself to kill his former emperor. besides, he'd get the punishment he needed back at the -

pain shot through him as a blade was driven into his torso. dream screamed in anguish and stumbled back, gargling out incomprehensible curses as with a wet sound wilbur withdrew his sword from dream's chest. blood dripped out of his mouth as he crawled toward the window-wall opposite the throne, nearly choking from the amount of it.

"bastard," dream hissed, the memory of him and george sitting atop the citadel walls calling wilbur exactly that flashing through his mind. that felt like forever ago, before the battles, before everything... with his remaining strength he shattered the glass of the window, some of the shards piercing his skin.

he looked down, where a cluster of people were still fighting. they weren't too high above the ground, but they weren't low enough for dream to jump off of, and wilbur laughed when he seemed to notice what dream was trying to do. "you can't jump, dream," he said, and despite the mocking words his voice was full of pain, "not without breaking your _neck._ "

dream's fingers slipped against the outside of the wall, squinting through his blurry vision. sapnap. below them, bow in hand, arrow poised to fly. he looked concerned, and dream rasped out raggedly, trying to call out his name. wilbur kicked at his chest.

with all of his energy dream jumped to his feet, boots balancing on the edge, striking a punch across wilbur's cheek. he cried out, hand over his face, blood dripping down as dream landed another blow to his face. when he tried to punch wilbur again, he managed to catch dream's wrist in his hand, and then they were both on the edge, an inch away from falling.

_shoot,_ he mouthed at sapnap, hoping the other would hear. it was all he could do to keep wilbur back, wrestling at the opening of a broken glass window. the other shook his head, worried, gesturing toward dream.

the memory kept replaying itself in his mind as his hands, his nails, dug into the skin of wilbur's arm. _we can do this. together._ what kind of person would he be if he didn't do that? not just for bad, but for sapnap and george? who had suffered at the hands of the empire, too?

_i promise,_ dream mouthed again at sap, _i promise. it's okay. it's okay._

sapnap's eyes widened with fear, then with resolution, and he let the arrow fly. dream gritted his teeth and with the rest of his energy he pushed wilbur away in the direction of it - the arrowhead piercing through his face, blood spurting out as wilbur dropped to the floor. the emperor, dead.

with a gasp of content relief dream let himself fall.

❂

_the high priestess: intuition, sensuality, and mysterious knowledge. the high priestess indicates that it is a time to trust one's instincts._

❂

"ma," dream started, looking up at the dark black sky, so endless and infinite and wide above him. "they say they're going to start a war. that the citadel's coming. that they're going to take you away. is it true?"

"who's _they,_ dream?" his mother responded, and he didn't answer, just shrug, hopelessly, afraid and lonely. it had been eating away at his heart all day, worry like a vice around him. he didn't want to leave home, or his sisters, or his parents. "don't worry. it's all just nonsense, really."

dream curled up into himself, knees tucked nearer to his chest, as he spoke. "but what if it _is_ true? i don't want to go. people keep saying it's scary in the citadel. and the empire, too. i want to stay here, with you."

a hand cupped his cheek and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "and that's what will happen, dream, and what you'll do. you'll live with us, and even when the citadel and the empire fight, we'll be here. home." dream relaxed at the reassurance. "understood?"

"yes," he said, fidgeting with his fingers. he felt the tension flood out of him. the citadel wouldn't come, they wouldn't destroy his home, nor would the empire. everything would be okay. dream searched for a way to change the topic, and he pointed at a random set of stars in the sky. "what's that constellation, ma?'

"hmm? oh..." she squinted at the stars. "i believe that's the leo one. the stars you were born under. what a coincidence." she ruffled dream's hair, making him laugh. "how lucky we decided to come up at this time." they fell into silence for a bit before she spoke up again. "you know, my mother used to tell me a story about -"

dream groaned, and she laughed. "no, this one's different. she said that one day, there'd come a hero, and he'd manage to unite the empire and the citadel. he'd be kindhearted, and brave, and smart, and people would _love_ him." she smiled. "just like you."

"so you're saying i'm the hero?"

she laughed, bright and clear. "maybe, maybe not. i suppose only time will tell." he looked up at her with wide eyes as she patted his shoulder, staring back up into the sky. "for now... i'm here, you're here. and no matter what will happen, i'll be here." 

he settled back into her, looking up at the sky with childish innocence, feeling so unimportant and so significant at the same time. 

❂

dream felt himself tilt and fall, his head and back crashing against the cold floor. he blinked, staring up at whatever was in front of him, but it was too blurry to discern. with a shrug he closed his tired eyes, wanting to go back to sleep, maybe talk to his mother again...

"you're awake!" someone yelled, and he groaned. "you're _alive!_ christ, dream, wake up. george's wound was deeper than yours and he woke up before you." dream succumbed to the voice and opened his eyes again, sapnap hovering above him with his hands on his knees. "well, you've always been rather lazy."

"i thought i was dead," dream managed, and sapnap just laughed. "wh - where am i? george is awake?" he managed to sit up, though the world spun around him. "is - is the emperor dead? did we do it? did we win the war?"

sapnap helped him up, hand clasped in the other's. "lots of questions at once, huh?" he teased, and dream flushed. "don't worry about it. you're in the medical tent, yes, george is awake, and he's waiting for you outside. the emperor's dead, the citadel won." at this his smile turned into more of a beam, bright and full of unadulterated joy. "we did it, dream. we won. because of you."

he furrowed his eyebrows before grinning, cautiously, despite the throbbing in his head. "no, i don't think so," he said, "because of _us._ " to which sapnap blushed furiously and crossed his arms. dream nudged his side. "hey. that's true, you know. couldn't have done it without you. you fired the killing shot."

"i'm sure you would've done it anyway," sapnap said. he rubbed his arm, which was bandaged up, white dusty fabric wrapped around his skin. "hey, you know what. i'm - uh - sorry. for how i treated you before? i should've seen you were just doing what you believed in."

"i was just being stubborn," dream replied, before sap's apology fully registered into his mind, and he laughed. "sap, you have nothing to apologise for. i - i betrayed your trust, and i - well, i did a lot of bad things. i should be the one who's sorry." 

when sapnap smiled softly, dream felt his heart skip a beat, and in the back of his mind he hoped he and sapnap would be able to return to what they'd used to be - whatever that was. because he did love sapnap, so much it almost hurt, and what would be the point of surviving after this if he didn't have that?

"looking back on it," dream said, "that was pretty... disheartening. disappointing, i suppose. i thought there would be more in the final battle. some sort of zenith. but it was a bunch of blood and a broken window." sapnap raised his eyebrows. "you don't agree?"

"i don't know if i do. i'm just glad you're alive." 

dream stared at sapnap for a moment before pulling him into a hug. sap squeaked before relaxing into his chest, wrapping his arms around dream, carefully as to not reopen his wound. "we did it," he whispered into sapnap's hair, seized so suddenly by the urge to hold him tight and to never let go, "we did it. for bad. for us."

maybe it was his imagination, dream thought he heard sapnap sniffle, quietly. "he'd be proud of us, i think," he murmured, and dream hugged him even tighter before sapnap pushed him away. "the doctor says i can't be too rough with you. take it easy for now, okay?"

his head was spinning and his chest was aching again, so maybe sapnap had a point. "don't want to lose you again," came the next sentence, and dream's eyes snapped open as sapnap hummed, blatantly ignoring his gaze. an awkward silence fell over them.

the feeling of his heart beating faster and faster was coming back, and dream cleared his throat in an attempt to ignore it, as well as the heat in his cheeks. "you mentioned george? we - uh, shouldn't keep him waiting." when sapnap's face fell, dream straightened and wrung his hands. "not if you don't want to, though! we can stay here for a little while -"

a hand on his arm made him trail off, sapnap smiling at him, amused. "it's fine. we can go now. you know i'm still quite wary of george. but, you know..." he made a face, some combination of melancholia and repressed happiness, one not unlike the face he'd made days ago, the memory of him talking to george flashing through dream's mind. "...perhaps i'm warming up to him."

dream must have done something to give away his joy, because sapnap laughed again. "don't take it for granted," he said. "fine, then. let's go. see your _lover._ " dream opened his mouth to protest, before sapnap softened, gesturing toward the mouth of the tent. "you two have much to talk about."

❂

_temperance: indicates that one has found their inner calm; represents balance, peace, patience, and contentment._

❂

"hello, dream," george said, stiffly, hair flowing in the wind. there was a piece of parchment in his hand with ink on it, fluttering, and dream settled in next to him. he looked up at sapnap, who was turning to walk away, but before he could speak, george did. 

"why are you leaving?" he asked, much to both sap and dream's surprise. "you can stay," he added, soft-spoken instead of the harsh and cold person he always was. sap let himself smile and pressed himself into dream's other side. they sat in silence for a while, watching the clouds drift across the sky. "we won the war."

dream wanted to touch george, in any way - hug him, pat his shoulder, kiss him - but at the last second decided against doing any of it. "we did," was all he said. 

"and wilbur's dead." he rubbed at his eyes, yawning. "i'm not upset, really." sapnap leaned over and narrowed his eyes like he didn't agree, but george shook his head and smiled. "no, i'm really not. it was for a good thing, in the end." he propped his chin up onto his knees. "did you know he placed two children as his knights?" 

"that... was quite strange, yes," dream admitted, thinking back to the two children he'd seen running around the castle laughing and jeering at people, how chaotic they were. "well, they came out alive and unharmed, so at least wilbur doesn't have their blood on his hands."

sapnap leaned his head onto dream's shoulder. "the emperor's dead, dream, he can't have blood on his hands either way," he reminded, almost playful. "wilbur was a bad emperor. he should've surrendered when he could."

"tell me about it," george snorted, and dream laughed. despite everything, despite the small sense of shame and regret and sadness in his heart for everything that had happened to a good man trying to be a good emperor in vain - he felt happy. he felt content. "i wish things could have gone differently. for wilbur, i mean. and for your friend... bad."

"wilbur was misled," dream whispered, "he meant well. he really did. but he wasn't fit to rule. i wish... i wish he would've realised it." he closed his eyes and for a second he was brought back to another memory, back home, under the stars. when everything was perfect. 

a hum from sapnap. "maybe in another world," he said, ribbon fluttering in the wind. dream wanted to catch it in his hands, comb his fingers through sapnap's hair, tie the fabric around his head carefully and gently. he'd have time to, he was sure. "maybe in another world he would've."

maybe his mother had been right. maybe he was being big-headed - or maybe he _was_ the hero destined to unite the empire and the citadel. it gave him comfort, knowing that he wasn't unimportant - that he was destined within the stars, that he was significant, that people loved him. that he'd saved people.

"so what are we going to do after this?" sapnap asked, tucking his knees up to his chest. george hummed, looping his arm around dream's. "forgoing our general duties, we could... write a play. or act one out. or abandon the citadel entirely and become merchants." dream barked out a laugh at that.

"i'd be content with doing nothing for the rest of forever," george remarked. so lazy. so predictable. dream loved that about him, loved the way george could be so dedicated and determined yet could lay down and sleep for twenty-four hours straight. he loved everything about george, really, and sapnap, and he was glad he had so much time left to study all those things like an experiment. 

because for now, they could stare into the sky, and all would be right in the world. and dream was convinced, with his heart and his head and his mind, that as long as he had the two people he loved the most in the world beside him...

well, he'd be alright. 

❂

_the world: signifies having the world itself at one's feet. a successful completion, a journey's end; the birth and accomplishment of a dream._


End file.
